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User blog:Pastrami on Rye/My Ideas for a Third Endless Ocean Game
So for anyone who clicked on this, expecting a fully fleshed out idea for a third entry in this woefully underrated, cult classic franchise, I'm sorry to disappoint. I don't have any complete ideas for a new game, but here are some small nuggets and concepts I'd like to see should this series continue. I'll likely be updating this whenever new ideas come to mind. Presentation Obviously, given the number of years that have passed, I'd expect far better graphics in this third installment. Seeing how the first two were co-developed by Nintendo, I'd assume it'll be a Switch exclusive. Plus, it would make the game suitable for patches and DLC. The amount of time since Blue World would also allow certain creatures to be depicted more realistically, given the new information that has come out about them since then. I don't just want to see the graphics get overhauled, but I also want to see some improved animations, specifically when it comes to the charcaters on land. In the first two games, every human just switches between the same set of poses and idle animations, and those parts of the game looked as though they were on the PlayStation 2. Needless to say, I want the human characters to move and act more human-like, complete with full voice-acting. I don't care if it's Super Mario Sunshine levels of subpar, but some dubbed-in voices would really help bring these wonderful characters to life. Music As for the soundtrack, all I ask is that Celtic Woman come back, alongside a whole slew of new vocal and orchestral themes. I would also like for the soundtrack to have more diversity in terms of the genres chosen; nothing that would date the game significantly, but the uniform soundtrack did become tedious at times for me. I would also like each landmark in the game to have its own musical motif, as opposed to just having a small set that are reused throughout the game. Also in this game, once the player hears a landmark's theme once, it will not repeat if they swim past it multiple times in a single dive. Alternatively, there would be an option to turn off the soundtrack entirely in case the player wants a more immersive experience. The option to choose your own background music before a dive would also make its return from the first game. Story I don't really have any concrete idea for a plotline, but I do want to see all the characters from both of the previous games make a return. Blue World does confirm that they are set in the same universe and timeline, after all. The story would start out on Nineball Island after the events of the second game, with the player still working for L&L Diving Service and once again having to choose what their diver looks like (albeit with far more customizability). However, this time around, you would have to customize two divers, the other one being the protagonist from the first Endless Ocean. This idea was inspired by Pokémon Gold/Silver, which had you battle the hero from Red/Blue in the postgame. For some plot-related reason, the first game's diver would come to the island via the Gabbiano, alongside Katherine Sunday, with the two parties joining forces. Maybe there could be a budding rivalry between the two games' protagonists? I dunno. That's only the start of the plot, but I'd assume it would once again involve a lot of traveling the world and exploring a vast array of environments. I don't currently have any ideas for side content either. Creatures Straight and to the point, I'd like to see all animals from the second game make a return, with even more added on top of that, as well as a whole new set of Legendaries. I don't have any specific requests for animals I want to see, but I would also like to see the devs do more research in terms of what animals are actually dangerous and which ones are not. Seriously Arika, why is it that goblin, greenland, bluntnose sixgill sharks are considered a threat, but not the tasseled wobbegongs, or the stingrays or jellyfish? And those aren't the only examples. Adding onto this, I would also like to introduce the concept of having certain creatures be dangerous at times but docile at others, akin to how things usually work in real life; maybe a creature can be docile unless you try to pet them, or maybe certain creatures would be more aggressive at night than during the day? In addition, I would like an option to sort the creatures in the encyclopedia based on the location they're found in, as opposed to just sorting them by size and environment. This would make it just a smidge easier to complete the book by narrowing down the places to search. Locations I want a whole new set of these in this game, with the same amount of diversity that Blue World gave us, alongside some new ones I thought of. I also want to see more than one map for each type of location, namely the freshwater, polar, and deep-sea environments. As for the new types of locales... *'Open Ocean:' This idea was merely teased in the second game, but I want to see it fully fleshed out. I want a whole map dedicated to that this time around, complete with its own distinctive atmosphere and the opportunities for an interesting set of sea life, such as some new types of sharks (oceanic white-tips, maybe?), large fish and cetaceans. Plus, imagine the amount of creativity that could be utilized in the landmarks, like a cluster of buoys, or a whirlpool, or a floating plane wreckage? *'Shipwreck:' I know we've already seen these in the first two games, but I want the third game to offer a unique take on it. Maybe instead of just having a smattering of small shipwrecks on the ocean floor that are mostly viewed from the outside, we could have a map that's entirely set on the inside of a giant ship, like an ocean liner. Maybe it could be a fictionalized version of the Titanic? *'Brackish Waters:' I haven't done much reseasrch on places like this, but an environment that's located at an inlet, right at the meeting point between fresh and saltwater? I'm sure there's potential. *'Contintenal Shelf:' Again, haven't done much research, aside from visiting the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, but I imagine this area would be pretty deep and located near a steep rock-face. The main draw would be a large kelp forest that takes up most of the map, home to its own ecosystem, including humboldt squid that could pose a threat to the player. Maybe it could take place off the California coast, thus allowing for some American representation in this series for once. And finally, for nostalgia's sake, I want to see Manoa Lai come back, once again as a nod to Pokémon Generation 2. This region would be unlocked as postgame content, complete with all its landmarks, music, and sub-areas intact. Maybe a handful of exclusive sea creatures could be placed on these maps just to make them worth exploring. All I know is that being able to play on the first game's maps with the mechanics and quality-of-life updates from the second and third games would be amazing. Gameplay Mechanics Every mechanic from Blue World would make a return in this new installment, though one small change I would make is giving the abilities to touch and feed their own separate slots on the pull-up menu. However, the main new mechanic I would introduce is the ability to customize one's equipment, which I feel was a huge missed opportunity in the second game. In this third game, wetsuits and swimwear would still be purely cosmetic as usual (complete with their night diving and cold-water upgrades available from the start), but the rest of the player's diving equipment would be able to be swapped out with different variants each with their own strengths and weaknesses, like in an RPG. Before each dive, the player would be able to choose what type of equipment they would swim with, from each of the categories described below. Some of these variants would have to be purchased from Nancy, but others would have to be unlocked by completing various tasks in the game. Once a new piece of equipment is unlocked, the player has the complete freedom to customize its pattern and color-scheme. Now to elaborate on what can be upgraded... Tanks I didn't bother coming up with any clever names for the types of tanks, but these would function as normal. The special type of air needed for deepwater diving would be available from the start, and the tanks would also be attached to the air regulators like the ones in the second game. The player would begin the game with a starter tank, which has average stats all around. I'd say it functions about the same as the starting tank from the second game. Meanwhile, all the variants would be distinguished by their individual stats: *'Weight:' Heavier tanks will lower the player's upward and downward swimming speed, while with lighter tanks, it will be the opposite. *'Air Capacity': The higher this stat, the more air the tank contains, allowing for longer dives. Needless to say, there might be some tanks that have a lower capacity and are intended for daring players who enjoy playing as glass cannons. *'Regulation:' Tanks that excel in this stat will allow the player to dive deeper and lose less air in the process. Additionally, there would be a special tank that has fully maxed stats and lets the player dive as deep as they want for as long as they want. This wouldn't be available right away, and would have to be unlocked somehow, such as by completing a certain map or section of the encyclopedia. Fins Again, no clever names here. These variants would no longer be cosmetic, but would instead vary depending on the following stats, much like in a racing game: *'Speed:' Increases or lowers the player's top swimming speed. *'Acceleration:' Increases or decreases the rate at which the player reaches their top speed. *'Drift:' The higher the stat, the sharper the player can turn. Meanwhile, turns will be wider if this stat is low. Food Blue World paid some good attention to detail by having the food look different depending on what creatures were being fed, but I want to take that a couple of steps further. These variants would not have stats, but would still have their upsides and downsides. Now for the different types... *'Standard Food:' Those yellow pellets we all know and love. Suitable for small fish and crustaceans, as well as any creatures found under zoom-mode spots. It is the only type of food that can be used in freshwater. *'Krill:' When released, it appears pinkish. Suitable for filter-feeders, as well as any large, non-predatory fish that the player may encounter such as oarfish or tuna. Cannot be used on small fish. *'Whole Sardines:' Intended for toothed whales, dolphins, and shore-dwelling creatures. Having it equipped allows the player to attract dolphins, but it cannot be used on small fish. Also can't be used in cold or deep water, and only twenty pieces can be dropped per dive. *'Chum:' Large chunks of fish coated in blood. Used to feed large fish, and is the only type of food to have a limited capacity (only ten pieces can be dropped per dive). In addition, carrying it around has the side-effect of drawing in sharks, including the types that do not attack the player under other circumstances. Pulsars These reprise their role in healing sick creatures and calming aggressive ones. The default one functions identically to the way it does when the player first unlocks it in the previous game, but the variants are as follows... *One would have the most powerful blasts, capable of healing or calming an animal in one shot. However, it only has three pulses and takes longer to recharge. *Another would have the highest ammo count, but also have the weakest shots. *Another variant would only have one shot, but it would also be chargeable, with the fastest recharge time. A charged shot can pulse multiple nearby creatures at once, but the shots are rather weak. I'm sure there are some other variants that could be added too. Oh, and as a sidenote: I'd like the developers to remove the buzzer whenever a dangerous animal approaches; just the icon on the screen was more than enough. Repellents Simply put, they're chunks of various types of metal that act as a new gadget found in this game. These cannot be unlocked or purchased; instead, the player must detect them via the Multisensor in various areas of the game. When found, up to three of these can be equipped, each acting as a repellent for a different type of shark, thus negating the need for the Pulsar. However, each type also has the effect of attracting another species. I'm not gonna bother listing the various metals, but I will say I came up with this idea in an attempt to add more options for strategy when it came to traversing dangerous areas. Other Mechanics/Tweaks *The Camera comes with the black-and-white, sepia, and toy filters from the last game, with several new filters unlocked during this adventure, including but not limited to hard-boiled, comic book, and cel-shaded. *The Multisensor would have some available upgrades that are unlocked over the course of the game, including one that would let the player detect items from further above the seafloor, as well as one that would allow them to detect coins. *Dolphin partners would have new abilities, such as automatically assisting in fighting off dangerous animals, in addition to the ones they possessed in the previous game. I would also like for each species to have its own exclusive abilities, a concept that was merely teased in Blue World, just to incentivise usage of all of them. (e.g. an obstacle is so heavy that only the Orca can move it). *The process of befriending dolphins will be returned to the way it was in the first game, but with the ability to befriend one of each species returning from the second game. *The player would have the ability to customize the on-land outfit of their diver, as well as the rival diver they design at the beginning of the game. They would also have the ability to tweak the appearance of both divers at any time without having to delete their save file and start over. Conclusion So that's about it! Always interested in hearing everyone's thoughts! Category:Blog posts